Strike Force Raptor: NSW bikie clubhouses shut down or disrupted in last decade
They claim to be the ‘one per centers’ but the past decade has seen more than 55 bikie clubhouses targeted and shut down by an elite police squad. Here is the inside information on how some of the most notorious clubhouses in NSW operated.
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They claim to be the “one per centers” who live outside the law, according to police.
But the number of outlaw motorcycle gang chapters and members has shrunk in recent years under the watchful eye of an elite squad.
More than 55 bikie clubhouses across NSW have been shut down in the past 11 years thanks to the work of the Criminal Groups Squad and Strike Force Raptor.
Set up in the wake of a vicious public brawl in Sydney Airport which left man dead in 2009, their success cannot be understated, police say, with a “significant decrease” in overall numbers of bikie chapters and members in the past five years.
And it’s all down to a set of unique tactics for which Raptor has become loathed among bikies and their supporters.
“Outlaw motorcycle gangs believe they are the ‘one per cent’ of the community that lives outside the law, but Raptor works to bring them back into the norms of society, and to operate within the law on every level,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said.
“Raptor treats every individual, every chapter, and every gang as a different or unique crime problem and have deployed a variety of different strategies to solve problems.”
Traditional policing strategies are just one part of the arsenal; Raptor is also known for its use of any law or regulation to disrupt gang activities — whether that’s to achieve “high-impact” results or “slow burns”.
Either way, the unit is relentless in its approach.
Here are some of the most notable shutdowns and disruptions of bikie clubhouses across the state.
BANDIDOS CLUBHOUSE, MOLONG
The dismantling of a Bandidos clubhouse in the state’s central west last year offered an inside look at the headquarters of a regional bikies chapter.
Strike Force Raptor raided the Molong property in September and allegedly uncovered firearms, ammunition and an illicit booze ring.
Along with cupcakes decorated with the Bandidos logo, investigators also allegedly found an illegal puppy farm set-up.
Images released by police show the clubhouse was adorned with a variety of decorations, including a mural of Ned Kelly in a motorcycle vest with Bandidos patches and a motorbike helmet emblazoned with the phrase “jail fund” across the visor.
jREBELS CLUBHOUSE, WARWICK FARM
The Warwick Farm clubhouse of the Rebels Liverpool chapter came under scrutiny following investigations into a brawl outside a Burwood cafe in April 2014.
At the time, police believed the brawl was between members of the Rebels Liverpool chapter and the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle gang’s Burwood chapter.
A man waiting for a bus nearby was struck by a glass bottle that had allegedly been flung during the melee and suffered lacerations to his head.
Investigators subsequently dismantled the Warwick Farm Rebels stronghold and also raided a Rossmore property, where they allegedly found a hydroponic cannabis set-up containing close to 50 mature cannabis plants.
SATUDARAH CLUBHOUSE, BANKSTOWN
Not long after they set up shop in a Bankstown garage, a local chapter of Dutch bikie gang Satudarah was dismantled by the NSW Gang Squad in 2016.
Head Detective Superintendent Deb Wallace told NewsLocal at the time the gang was “amateurish” and was recruiting members through Facebook.
“We’re pretty confident they didn’t commit any crimes specifically relating to Bankstown,” she said at the time.
“It was really in its infancy stage and there was no one offering them support. The established clubs weren’t using them as a feeder group, as can happen.”
Police had earlier raided the clubhouse in November 2015 and allegedly seized ice, gang colours and paraphernalia, as well as items related to firearm possession.
FINKS CLUBHOUSE, RIVERSTONE
The bikie gang’s Riverstone clubhouse was shut down as part of a large police operation targeting six separate outlaw motorcycle gangs in 2015.
Police dismantled the Finks clubhouse after a raid allegedly uncovered two Harley Davidsons suspected of being rebirthed.
Several properties with links to the gang were also searched with investigators allegedly finding 12 firearms and $1.1 million in hydroponic cannabis.
The Bandidos, Hells Angels, Lone Wolves, Nomads and Rebels were also targeted in the sweeping crackdown.
NOMADS CLUBHOUSE, WETHERILL PARK
It was a brand new clubhouse in a Wetherill Park industrial area, but in 2015 the Nomads base was shut down in a dramatic police raid.
Eleven bikies were arrested at the time and charged under laws which prevent known criminals consorting with each other.
The gang was interrupted by police during a “church night” — a monthly tradition at bikie clubs where they meet to discuss club matters.
Gangs Squad commander Detective Supt Deborah Wallace said at the time the men were involved in “general partying” when police arrived.
GYPSY JOKERS CLUBHOUSE, HORSLEY PARK
Legal action in the Supreme Court in 2018 saw the Gypsy Jokers’ headquarters in Horsley Park declared a restricted premises, allowing police to raid the clubhouse without a warrant.
The court at the time heard police allegations gang members had “stolen an alpaca and were having sexual intercourse with it”, but Justice Julia Loneragan said it was “nothing more than rumour and innuendo”.
Justice Loneragan declared the clubhouse a restricted premises because reputed criminals had frequented or were likely to attend the base in the future.
The clubhouse was also thrust into the spotlight after the ex-partner of a Gypsy Joker bikie was allegedly abducted, stripped naked and bound to a pole before being bashed at the clubhouse in September 2018.
Cheyane Lubec, then 22, also claimed half her hair was shaved off during the two-day ordeal.